


Getting Back on Track

by zibal_01



Series: Hitting Rock Bottom [3]
Category: Original Work, Sport; Ice Hockey
Genre: M/M, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:18:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9674423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zibal_01/pseuds/zibal_01





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PurplePitty616161](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurplePitty616161/gifts).



The following morning, Joe woke up to find himself alone. It felt a bit strange, there being no-one for him to talk to. Raising his head, slightly, he noticed that the call button had been left within easy reach for him, so he pressed it and waited.

It didn't take long for Dr Anderson to appear in his doorway. He smiled brightly as he stepped into the room.

"Good morning, Joe," he started, reaching for Lekovic's chart. "How are you today?"

Joe thought about it briefly, before replying, "Hungry..."

"I'll just check your obs, then see about getting you something you'll be able to eat," Anderson proceeded to check Joe over, taking extra time over his throat. "Your throat seems a bit red and swollen. Is it as sore as it was yesterday?"

"Worse," Joe advised. "I've probably been talking too much..."

Dr Anderson nodded thoughtfully. "We may have scratched your throat when we intubated you. I'll have a nurse come round and hang a bag of antibiotics. Are you allergic to anything?"

"I don't... don't think so," Joe advised. "I've had penicillin in the past, so I should be ok..." Joe wondered why he had said that. Given his current situation, it was a bit hypocritical of him to worry about an allergic reaction.

"Ok, I'll get that sorted for you," Dr Anderson advised. "I think it might be best to keep you on liquid nutrition for the time being. We don't want to risk irritating your throat further."

Joe nodded his agreement. There was no point in arguing - it really wouldn't get him anywhere. "Will... will Colby be in later?" he asked quietly.

Dr Anderson raised his head from where he was updating Joe's chart. "He phoned me earlier to say he'll be in later today. He has a meeting after practice."

"Colby... Colby told me about... about his suicide attempt..."

"He did, did he?" Dr Anderson sounded... well. Not quite angry, but not really happy either...

"Yes," Joe confirmed. "I... I think he wanted me to know that I... I wasn't alone..."

"That sounds like Colby," Dr Anderson commented. He sounded reluctant to talk about it, so Joe let it drop.

"Any chance of getting these off?" Joe asked hopefully, rattling his cuffs.

"Dr McKinlay will be in to see you later today," Dr Anderson advised. "Once he's spoken to you, he'll make a decision on them."

Joe closed his eyes, and leaned back into his pillows. He heard footsteps as Dr Anderson left the room, followed moments later by a set of footsteps that he didn't recognise. He opened his eyes in time to see a nurse step up to the side of his bed. She had a bag of antibiotics to attach to his drip, along with what appeared to be a meal replacement shake. After setting up the drip, she turned her attention to the bed control.

"Ok, Mr Lekovic," she spoke kindly, "let's get you sitting up." She adjusted the bed. "There. That's better. Now, drink this." She held the shake so that Joe could sip it.

"It would be so much easier for me if you took these off," Joe indicated towards the cuffs, large blue eyes pleading silently.

The nurse ruffled his unruly mop of floppy blond hair, smiling as she did so. "Nice try, young man, but not going to happen. Drink up. I do have other patients to see to."

Joe drank the remains of the shake. It didn't fill him as much as he would have liked, but he did not want to damage his, already sore, throat further.

When the nurse left, Joe found himself, yet again, alone. His thoughts wandered: Why had Colby confided in him? Why was Dr Anderson so unhappy about it? Joe had thought - well, hoped - that it would open some kind of dialogue between them. Sighing, Joe realised that it was probably too close to home.

Trying to switch his mind off, Joe resigned himself to boredom. That was until there was a knock on his door.

"Can we..."

"...come in?" Jonny and Kasey Treloar asked. Sharing sentences was normal for the twins, and actually brought a smile to Joe's face.

"Sure," Joe replied.

"So," Jonny started as he took the seat beside the bed, "Colby has a meeting with the management team..."

"...and he asked us to come and keep you company," Kasey continued.

"If that's ok with you?" they asked together.

"It's fine," Joe advised. "I told Colby that you were welcome to visit anytime. How was practice?"

"It was good," Kasey's eyes lit up as soon as they started talking about hockey. "Did Colby tell you who we've got in the playoffs?"

"No," Joe looked from one twin to the other, expectantly. "Tell me then..."

"Rangers," Jonny smiled, broadly. They had swept the Rangers in the regular season, and confidence was running high within the team.

"Are you coming to watch us?" Kasey asked: Jonny turned to glare at him. Their twin connection had obviously failed on this occasion. Joe watched them silently arguing with each other, fascinated by their dynamic.

"Hey, guys," he interrupted. "If I can be there, I'll be there. I just don't know how long..." he shook his wrists, drawing their attention to his restraints.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Joe," Kasey replied, sheepishly.

"We weren't supposed to ask if you were coming to watch," Joe commented. "Somebody forgot..." He glared, pointedly, at Kasey. Kasey held his hands up in mock surrender.

"Guys," Joe laughed, really laughed, for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "It's ok. Really. I get it. Now, tell me about practice. Are you working on new plays for the playoffs?"

That really got the conversation flowing. They talked freely, barely noticing the passage of time - until Kasey decided that he needed coffee…

"I'm heading to the canteen," Kasey stated. "Can I bring you anything back?"

"Coffee," both Jonny and Joe replied. That made them all laugh.

Kasey left, closing the door behind him...

After several long moment, Joe spoke, "Colby told me about... about..."

"His suicide attempt." Jonny finished for him. Joe nodded, so Jonny continued. "He told me last night. Took a long time to get him to sleep afterwards. I honestly thought that I was going to have to drug him..."

Joe looked horrified...

"He has prescribed sleeping pills," Jonny clarified. "I thought he was going to need them, but he didn't want to take them so close to the playoffs."

"It must have been hard for you, seeing Colby..."

"Yeah..."

 

 


End file.
